Premier League Preview

With less than 30 days to go until the start of the new Premier League season, the tension is beginning to build. All over the country, fans are looking forward to another year of footballing excitement. Each with their own opinions, each hoping that their team can stay up, maybe challenge for Europe, maybe even win the league! Who knows?

To whet your appetite in anticipation of the new season, here's my team-by-team guide to the upcoming instalment of unrelenting action.

Arsenal

After scraping into the final Champions' League spot last season, Arsenal will have a tough battle this year to get any higher, and with Liverpool looking strong, The Gunners might well struggle to make the top four. As usual Wenger has been away from the media spotlight throughout this transfer window so far, with only one signing. As of yet, nothing has come of the major rumours linking Higuain with the London club and any further action now looks unlikely.

Verdict: 7th

Aston Villa

Tying up Christian Benteke on a new four year deal has put Villa in a good position leading up to the 2013/14 season. The big Belgian will be pivotal if Villa want to stay in the top flight for the 23rd consecutive season. It will be an uphill struggle but with their fans and owners behind them, they might just stay up. However it seems highly unlikely.

Verdict: 18th

Cardiff City

After a storming season in the Championship last year Cardiff will enter the top flight for the first time full of confidence. They become only the second ever Welsh team in the Premier League and will be looking forward to continuing their fierce rivalry with Swansea. Malky Mackay has been doing his best to bolster his squad and The Bluebirds will have to fight all season long. Even then it will be close.

Verdict: 19th

Chelsea

New manager, new players and a new start this year at Stamford Bridge. Jose Mourinho has made some fantastic signings and The Blues are looking strong after three years without a title. With Schurrle and Van Ginkel adding creative flair Chelsea will be a major threat to the two Manchester teams and I think that they could bring the title back down to London.

Verdict: 1st

Crystal Palace

After what many would perceive as a fortunate playoff win against Watford, Palace are back in the Premier League after being absent for eight years. Ian Holloway will have a tough job on his hands keeping them up there and I think it's just a step too far for them. A year of experience in the Premier League will do all of the squad a world of good and will mean that, if they get promoted again in the short term, then their chances of survival will be greatly improved.

Verdict: 20th

Everton

The Toffees have made a couple of strong signings with a lot of top flight experience between them. In Arouna Kone they have got a goal scoring machine, and Antolin Alcaraz will bring defensive stability. This year could be their chance to get into the Champions League with question marks surrounding both Manchester United and Arsenal.

Verdict: 6th

Fulham

Fulham have been playing some attractive attacking football under Martin Jol, taking five points from the top six teams. Ending the season in 12th The Cottagers have established themselves as a Premier League club and will look to move into the top half. With Stekelenburg between the sticks and Berbatov on fire at the other end Fulham could be a surprise package this season.

Verdict: 9th

Hull City

Hull are back in the top flight of English football for only their third season after clinching promotion with a dramatic 2-2 draw with Cardiff on the final day of last season. Steve Bruce is an experienced Premiership manager and I think that he has the knowledge to guide The Tigers to safety. He has already signed two strong defenders and Danny Graham, a proven goal scorer at this level.

Verdict: 16th

Liverpool

Brendon Rodgers and Liverpool will be hoping to end their recent slump. Champions League qualification is, without a doubt, the main aim of this season. Even with the hindrance of their horrid new away and third shirts from Warrior, I think The Reds can reach the top four but only if Coutinho continues on his scoring streak and Mignolet recreates his fantastic form in goal from last year.

Verdict: 4th

Manchester City

Manchester City couldn't retain their league title last season which unfortunately led to the departure of manager Roberto Mancini. Pellegrini takes over the reins with a clear objective from the board, win the league. With new signings Navas, Negredo and Jovetic The Citizens will run it close but they just don't have the cutting edge to win it, in my opinion.

Verdict: 2nd

Manchester United

This will be the first Premier League season in history which won't feature Ferguson in charge of United. It will be interesting to see how Moyes copes in such a big role after ten years at Everton. They have had a mixed start to pre-season but they should get more consistent when the league starts. I think that they will soon return to being all conquering, but it will take a few years.

Verdict: 3rd

Newcastle United

Two years ago Newcastle were the only team that people were talking about, beating Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Everton. Their fortunes took a turn for the worst last season however, with the club narrowly avoiding relegation. If Cisse can return to his goal scoring ways then Newcastle will be comfortably safe.

Verdict: 15th

Norwich City

Norwich are becoming Premier League regulars with a couple of mid table finishes. Wolfswinkel will be a key signing and will hopefully fill the Grant Holt shaped hole in The Canaries' front line. If it all comes together for them then they could do quite well this year.

Verdict: 10th

Southampton

Their free-flowing, attacking style of football has pleased many however the dismissal of manager Nigel Adkins came as a big surprise. If Ricky Lambert can continue where he left off, scoring for fun, then The Saints will finish in mid table.

Verdict: 12th

Stoke City

Over the years Stoke have acquired some haters thanks to their robust and physical style. It has been working for them though, helping them to consistently reach mid table. This year will be no different, however I have predicted a slightly lower finish purely due to the quality of some of the other teams in the league.

Verdict: 14th

Sunderland

The Black Cats had a shaky season last year, just managing to steer clear of relegation. I have a feeling that they will struggle again this year but I think they still have the quality to stay up.

Verdict:17th

Swansea City

Swansea will be playing in Europe next season after winning the Capitol One Cup. It will be a fantastic experience for all their fans however it might tire the squad and their league form may well suffer. Everyone has fallen in love with The Swans' beautiful, passing football and I think they'll do well again.

Verdict: 8th

Tottenham Hotspur

Spurs will again be looking to better their London rivals Arsenal and this year I think they can do it, providing they can hold onto Bale. Tottenham have a great combination of passing football and solid defending however their strikers sometimes fail to provide the goals.

Verdict: 5th

West Bromwich Albion

West Brom surprised everyone last year and showed that Newcastle's high finish the season before could be repeated by others. I think a similar fate lies in store for The Baggies, slipping back down into mid table obscurity, however I don't think that they'll have the same relegation battle.

Verdict: 11th

West Ham United

West Ham finished the highest of the three promoted clubs last season, in a shockingly high 10th. They won't do quite as well this year but it will still be a successful season as long as they stay comfortably clear of relegation.

Verdict: 13th

Table

1    Chelsea

2    Manchester City

3    Manchester United

4    Liverpool

5    Tottenham Hotspur

6    Everton

7    Arsenal

8    Swansea City

9    Fulham

10  Norwich City

11  West Bromwich Albion

12  Southampton

13  West Ham United

14  Stoke City

15  Newcastle United

16  Hull City

17  Sunderland

18  Aston Villa

19  Cardiff City

20  Crystal Palace

I hope that's given you a taster of what's to come in the new season. There will, without a doubt, be plenty of upsets and a fair share of controversy and I will no doubt turn out to be completely wrong. But that just adds to the excitement!

Good Buy or Goodbye?

It’s that time of year again. Superstar signings and bemused fans. Who will move where and for how much? For the last two years, all the talk has been about Fernando Torres after he joined Chelsea from Liverpool for a massive £50 million. He has since gone on to score 15 goals in 85 appearances meaning he averages out at £3.3 million per goal. He is, undoubtedly, the definition of a bad signing. But what makes a bad signing and, more importantly, what makes a good one?

All too often fans are heard slating their club’s signings, “They paid how much?” arguably the most common question each July. In this article I will be analysing what makes a great transfer and keeps fans happy.

Proven track record
Fans want to know that their team’s new signing will perform well, right from their debut and repay their price tag quickly. If the player has already played well, maybe he scored 23 goals last season in the Bundesliga, then supporters will see him as a good addition to the team. However, a slow start and fans will get on his back and demand a new striker.

Top-level experience
A young energetic player from the lower reaches of the English leagues might occasionally come good in the top flight, however most fans would rather see a more experienced player with a couple of successful seasons in the Premier League under his belt. It will be interesting to see the impact Wilfried Zaha has on the Premiership as he is very much an unknown quantity.
So, applying this logic, who are the best and worst signings so far this season?

Andre Schurrle
With 18 goals in 65 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen over two seasons (11 last season) Schurrle comes to Chelsea as one of the hottest attacking midfielders in Germany. Along with some fantastic performances for the national team yielding 7 goals, the playmaker has been on fire in the Bundesliga after completing a £6.5 million move from Mainz to Leverkusen two years ago. He should fit in nicely with Chelsea’s attacking and free-flowing style of football and will presumably slot into a forward role in a 4-3-3 formation.

Jesus Navas
Navas has joined the long list of high quality wingers at Manchester City. He will have to battle for a place in the first team with the likes of David Silva, Samir Nasri and Scott Sinclair. Navas swapped Sevilla for Manchester in a deal meaning that one of the best wingers in the world, involved in Spain’s record breaking European Championship triumph, is at Manuel Pellegrini’s disposal in his bid to reclaim the Barclay’s Premiership title for The Citizens.

Simon Mignolet
Liverpool have snapped up one of the best goalkeepers in the Premiership from last season in Mignolet, in a deal thought to be worth around £10 million. He will, however, face stiff competition for a starting position next season from Pepe Reina, the club’s current number one keeper. Mignolet could play a pivotal role in The Reds’ push for Champions League football and I’m sure he will relish the challenge.

Paulinho
A number of Brazilians have joined Premier League clubs over the last five years with varied results: Jo and Robinho both struggled to settle in at Manchester City, whilst Giovanni Dos Santos and Heurelho Gomes never quite reached the expected level of performance at Tottenham. There have however been some success stories: despite a number of fans criticising his defending, no one can say that David Luiz hasn’t played well for Chelsea. Spurs fans will hope that Paulinho settles quickly and soon reaches the high levels that he attained whilst in Brazil.

The best of the rest
Everton have signed Arouna Kone who, after a brilliant start to life in the Premier League last season with Wigan, could be the man to end The Toffees recent struggle in front of goal.

Dutch international goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg has joined Fulham as a replacement and possibly even an upgrade on Mark Schwarzer. Stekelenburg put in some fantastic performances during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa which really made people start to take notice of him.

The move from West Brom to sign Nicolas Anelka is an interesting one. Many would say he is well past his prime and hasn’t performed consistently for years but I think that he may just fill the Romelu Lukaku shaped hole up front for The Baggies.

Hull City have bolstered their defensive options with the signings of duo Curtis Davies and Maynor Figueroa who might just help The Tigers retain their Premier League status for a second season.

So, only time will tell who will live up to their price tag and who will fall short. Get in touch and tell me what your thoughts are.